CN107205567A - Coffee machine and corresponding control methods - Google Patents

Abstract

Coffee machine (1) includes：Controller；The immersion cylinder (100) of the ground coffee (32) of doses can be loaded；It is slidably supported at the discharge piston (9) in immersion cylinder (100)；Close piston (8), it is engageable in immersion cylinder (100) so as to the infusion chamber (4) of ground coffee (32) the formation closure for doses, the infusion chamber is defined between the side wall of immersion cylinder (100), discharge piston (9) and closure piston (8)；And electric actuator, it is suitable for immersion cylinder (100) is moved between bottom traveling limit stop part and top traveling limit stop part, the ground coffee (32) of doses is loaded at the bottom traveling limit stop part, implement immersion process (4) at the top traveling limit stop part, it is additionally provided with the adjusting means that the position of top traveling limit stop part is adjusted for the dosage size of the ground coffee (32) based on loading, so that in the position of the top traveling limit stop part, the volume that the infusion chamber (4) has is enough to accommodate the ground coffee (32) of doses without compressing its.

Description

Coffee machine and corresponding control methods

The present invention relates to coffee machine and corresponding control methods.

It is commercially available on the market at present to be used to manufacture drip coffee or many machines of caffe american consist essentially of kettle Stove, percolation chamber, wherein paper filter can be positioned and place the heap of loose coffee grounds on the filter, and positioned at filtering It is used for the vial for collecting diafiltration coffee below device.

Boiler supplies water to percolation chamber, wherein under its own weight, water is by the heap of loose coffee grounds Infiltration, and by resulting diafiltration coffee collection in vial.

These drip coffee makers have the extremely limited undeniable advantage of simple in construction, production cost.

However, hinder one of factor of wider commercial distribution of such machine in the fact that, due to from useless coffee Remaining in the heap of coffee slag to keep liquid, they have strong dirty trend, therefore they need frequent and careful hand It is dynamic to clean to keep their normal operatings.

Change and environment can be also adversely affected the need for handling paper filter after each use.

Therefore, technical assignment of the invention is to realize the coffee machine and method for being used for preparing coffee, and it can eliminate reference Technological deficiency of the prior art.

In the range of this technology task, the purpose of the present invention be implemented as user provide it is extremely simple, cleaning and can The coffee machine for the operation leaned on.

It is a further object to provide the machine that can produce caffe american.

Technique according to the invention task and later and other purposes are by realizing coffee machine according to claim 1 To realize.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, coffee machine includes the metering device for being used to measure ground coffee, the metering Device is configured as loading the dosage of known dimensions in immersion cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, metering device includes mill.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, closure piston can be with described at least one by the action of at least one spring The opposite translation of action of individual spring.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, adjusting means includes microswitch, and the microswitch can be closed by described Close piston or be activated by soaking moving for cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, adjusting means includes the absorption for being used to detect the electric actuator (absorption) detector.

Invention additionally discloses the control method for coffee machine, the coffee machine includes：Controller, can load doses Ground coffee immersion cylinder, be slidably supported at immersion cylinder in discharge piston, close piston, it is engageable immersion cylinder In, to produce the infusion chamber of closure for the ground coffee of doses, immersion cylinder is defined in the side wall of immersion cylinder, discharge and lived Between plug and closure piston, and including electric actuator, it is suitable for making the immersion cylinder in bottom traveling limit stop part Moved between top traveling limit stop part, the grinding coffee of doses is loaded at the bottom traveling limit stop part Coffee, implements immersion process at top traveling limit stop part, wherein, the agent of ground coffee of the control method based on loading Amount size and adjust the position of the top traveling limit stop part so that in the position of the top traveling limit stop part In, the volume of the infusion chamber is enough to accommodate the ground coffee of doses without compressing it.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein the coffee machine include mill, set its by user interface from The ground coffee of known doses size to be loaded is selected in the predetermined dosage of multiple known dimensions pair, and is controlled Device obtains the selection, and automatically the size of the ground coffee dosage by milling time with selecting is associated, and from database The position of the top traveling limit stop part corresponding with milling time is obtained, and orders immersion cylinder towards the top The position movement of the acquisition of traveling limit stop part.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first stroke for soaking cylinder is gone to and advanced more than top by control order The temporary position of the position of limit stop part, and the second stroke in relative direction is gone to top by order from temporary position The position of traveling limit stop part；In the temporary position of immersion cylinder, closure piston applies in the ground coffee of doses The compression of predeterminated level, and when reaching the position of top traveling limit stop part, compression is released.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the predetermined compression level is signaled to controller by microswitch, The microswitch can be started by closing the movement of piston.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the predetermined compression level is sensed by the detection of the absorption of actuator Device is signaled to controller.

From the description of the preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the coffee machine according to the present invention, further spy of the invention Advantage of seeking peace be will become apparent, and it is illustrated by the approximate and non-limiting example in accompanying drawing, wherein：

- Fig. 1 is the schematic sectional view of machine, and wherein infusion unit is in the position for the coffee grounds for loading doses；

- Fig. 2 is the view of the machine occurred in Fig. 1, and wherein infusion unit is in immersion position；

- Fig. 3 is the view of the machine occurred in Fig. 1, and wherein infusion unit is in the waste coffee dregses of drying doses Position；

- Fig. 4 is the view of the machine occurred in Fig. 1, and wherein infusion unit is in from infusion chamber and extracts the useless of doses The position of coffee grounds；

- Fig. 5 is the view of the machine occurred in Fig. 1, and wherein infusion unit is in from the useless of infusion chamber discharging doses The position of coffee grounds；

- Fig. 6 is the schematic diagram of the order of the operating position reached by immersion cylinder in the possible embodiment of the present invention, To reach the position of top traveling limit stop part.

With reference to cited accompanying drawing, coffee machine is shown and its whole is designated as reference 1.

Coffee machine 1 includes the framework for defining the containing body 2 for may move infusion unit 3.

Infusion unit includes：Cylinder 100 is soaked, it can be mounted with the ground coffee 32 of doses, discharge piston 9, can It is slidingly supported in immersion cylinder 100, closes piston 8, it is engageable in immersion cylinder 100, so as to the grinding coffee for doses Coffee 32 produces the infusion chamber 4 of closure, and immersion cylinder is defined between the side wall of immersion cylinder, discharge piston 9 and closure piston 8.

Specific electric actuator is suitable for that bottom traveling of the cylinder 100 in the ground coffee 32 of loading doses will be soaked Moved between limit stop part and the top traveling limit stop part for implementing immersion process.

Soaking cylinder 100 has cylindrical side wall 4a, and lower base 4b and top open inlet port 4c.

Framework is supported for supplying the pot for soaking the pump (not shown) of current and current being soaked for heating to infusion unit 3 Stove (not shown).

Coffee machine 1 is also illustrated with boiler, pump and for moving the controller that the specific mobile device of infusion unit 3 is connected (not shown).

The hydraulic circuit of coffee machine 1, which also includes being used for supplying to infusion unit 3, soaks the supply line 5 of current, for dividing Distribution circuit 6 and discharge line 7 with coffee soaking.

Soaking cylinder 100, there is top to open inlet port 4c, and it is towards the closure piston 8 above it supported by framework.

Supply line 5 and discharge line 7 extend in closure piston 8.

Discharge piston 9 can coaxially be translated with soaking the axis L of cylinder 100.

Discharging piston 9 has the perimeter gasket 12 for being used for the side wall 4a radial seals with soaking cylinder 100.

Discharging piston 9 also has in bar 13, through hole 14 of the bar 13 in the lower base 4b of immersion cylinder 100 by slidably Ground is guided.

The bar 13 of piston 9 is discharged from the base portion 4b of immersion cylinder 100 outside extension.

Infusion unit 3 is releasably supported by support 15.

Containing body 2 has the window (not shown) for being used for taking out infusion unit 3.

Therefore, can be easily in the visual examination of coffee machine 1 when supply unit 3 discharges from support 15.

The support link 16 of support 15, the cam that the connecting rod is used to start be supported by the containing body 2 of infusion unit 3 is controlled The discharge piston 9 that device 17,18 interacts.

Connecting rod 16 includes the first bar 20, and it has the fulcrum pin 21 for being pivoted to support 15, and has and the second bar 24 The tooth form arc 22 that tooth form arc 23 is engaged, the second bar 24 has the fulcrum pin 25 that it is pivoted to support 15.

First bar 20 has other tooth form arc 26, and it is engaged with providing the rack 27 on the bar 13 of discharge piston 9.

Sum it up, the first bar 20 has the arm 27 for being used for moving from cam gear 17, arm is provided by containing body 2 in turn Cam face constitute.

Second bar 24 has the arm 28 for being used for moving from cam gear 18 in turn, and the cam gear is in turn by providing Cam face on element 29 is constituted, and the element has a fulcrum pin 30 that it is pivoted to containing body 2, and with the action of spring 31 Swung conversely and by the action of spring.

Soaking cylinder 100 can be along the inclined rectilinear orbit L' translational motion of holding plane 10 relative to coffee machine 1.

Soak cylinder 100 actuating include parallel to rectilinear orbit be orientated, and and the internal thread integral with support 15 (not Show) engagement electric screw bar 19.

According to direction of rotation, the rotation of screw rod 19 itself causes rising or falling for immersion cylinder 100.

Soak rectilinear orbit L' co-axial orientation of the cylinder 100 relative to immersion cylinder 100.

As illustrated, the orientation of immersion cylinder 100 can be fixed, or the immersion at bottom traveling limit stop part Room 4 includes the possibility of rotation, for example, make it be disposed with the axis orthogonal with holding plane 10 to load doses The program of ground coffee.

The orientation for closing piston 8 is coaxially fixed relative to the rectilinear orbit L' of immersion cylinder 100.

Closure piston 8 includes being used for supporting and guide exterior section 8a inner fixed part 8b, and the exterior section can be Action movement opposite with the action of spring 11 and by spring on the direction for the rectilinear orbit L' for soaking cylinder 100.

The through hole 8a ' of the exterior section 8a of supply line 5 and discharge line 7 with being present in closure piston 8 lower end Connection.

According to one of the present invention prominent aspect, coffee machine has adjusting means, for the top for soaking cylinder 100 to be advanced Size of the position adjustments of limit stop part to the doses of the ground coffee loaded so that be limited to the upper of immersion cylinder 100 Infusion chamber 4 at the position of portion's traveling limit stop part includes the ground coffee 32 of the doses without mechanical compress.

The position of the top traveling limit stop part of immersion cylinder can be adjusted according to different patterns.

In the first shaping modes, controller must be known by the big of the dosage for the ground coffee being loaded in immersion cylinder 100 It is small.In a preferred embodiment, this can be realized by being equipped with mill for coffee machine.It is well known that grinding rate and In the case that grain size keeps constant, the dosage of the ground coffee of loading is directly directly proportional to milling time.

Therefore, user interface is set on the control panel of coffee machine, and utilizes the user interface, can from it is multiple The dosage of the ground coffee of known dimensions to be loaded is selected in the predetermined close for knowing size.Controller obtains the selection, so Calculate corresponding milling time automatically afterwards, and the grinding with therefore calculating stored in its memory is obtained from database The reference value of the position of the top traveling limit stop part of time corresponding immersion cylinder 100.In practice, it is contemplated that immersion cylinder 100 towards the rectilinear orbit for closing piston 8 for being disposed in level altitude, and the dosage of selected ground coffee is bigger, from number The reference value of the position of the top traveling limit stop part of the immersion cylinder 100 obtained according to storehouse is smaller.When the ground coffee being loaded Dosage when changing, the closure of infusion chamber 4 can be ensured, and close piston 8 will not compression loaded doses coffee Coffee.Then, control order soaks the movement of cylinder 100, and its current location can be by the specific volume that is assembled on electric actuator Code device is tracked.

Controller also includes feedback control, wherein the reality by comparing position of the immersion cylinder in its each operational phase Value and predefined parameter, it proceeds the regulation of possible infusion.

Due to there is the encoder with feedback control, hence it is demonstrated that the adjustment of infusion parameter especially refining and essence Really.In addition, the selection of consumer is not limited to small-sized (corto) or large-scale (lungo) coffee service, because according to each consumption The personal like of person, there is large-scale selection therebetween.

In the case where user continues to load manually, or in the case where not providing mill, it can be carried to user For the different amounts of measurement spoon of one or more ground coffees for doses, and it can set on a user interface pair The select button answered.Naturally, in order to increase precision, coffee machine can include going automatically relative to the dosage that user manually selects Except the device of the ground coffee of any unnecessary amount.

In the second shaping modes, controller requires no knowledge about the dosage for the ground coffee being loaded in immersion cylinder 100 Size.In this case, control order goes to the first stroke for soaking cylinder 100 more than top traveling limit stop part Position temporary position, and order by the second stroke in relative direction from temporary position go to immersion cylinder 100 it is upper The position of portion's traveling limit stop part.In the temporary position of immersion cylinder 100, ground coffee of the closure piston 8 in doses Apply the compression of predeterminated level on 32, and when reaching the position of top traveling limit stop part, compression is released.When reaching During the value of predetermined compression level, for example, signal is sent to controller by microswitch, microswitch can be by closing piston 8 Movement or started by the detector of the absorption for detecting actuator.Lived for example, microswitch can be fixed to closure The fixed part 8b of plug 8, and started by the cam for the moveable part 8a for being firmly constrained to closure piston 8.Soak cylinder 100 Various operating positions schematically figure 6 illustrates, wherein：(in a) of position, soaked in the position of bottom traveling limit stop part Steep cylinder 100 to be positioned at height x1, and close piston and be positioned above height z1；(in the b) of position, cylinder is soaked in temporary position 100 are positioned at height x2>At x1, and close piston and be positioned at height z2>z1；And in the position of top traveling limit stop part Put and (in the c) of position, soak cylinder 100 and be positioned at height x1<x3<At x2, and piston is closed at height z3=z1.

The following is a kind of example of operator scheme of coffee machine 1 in the case of equipped with mill.

Soak cylinder 100 to be at its underpart traveling limit stop part, wherein the top inlet port 4c of infusion chamber 100 is in hopper 36 downward verticals are aligned, and hopper is used for the heap for loading coffee grounds 32.

Discharge piston 9 and be in it towards the bottom 4b of immersion cylinder 100 retracted position.

User starts the operation circulation of coffee machine 1 using specific select button, and the select button is used to select to drink Material type (therefore selecting the ground coffee of doses to be loaded in immersion cylinder 100).

Therefore hopper 36 discharges the ground coffee 32 of known dose, and ground coffee enters immersion cylinder due to Action of Gravity Field 100。

Controller fetches the position of the top traveling limit stop part for the ground coffee of the doses corresponding to loading The reference value put, then starts screw rod 19, and screw rod causes the infusion chamber for soaking the closure that cylinder 100 limits minimum possible volume 4 without the coffee compression for the doses for load.

Then, the stop valve (not shown) that control order is located on supply line 5 is opened and on discharge line 7 Stop valve (not shown) is closed.

Controller starts feed pump and boiler, to soak current to the supply of infusion unit 3.

Optimal soaking conditionses, which correspond to, to be had in atmospheric pressure and 2x10⁵Stress level between Pa scopes, and at 85 DEG C The immersion current of temperature between 100 DEG C of scopes.

For example, immersion current have 90 DEG C of temperature, 1.4x10⁵Pa stress level.

The flow velocity of current is soaked preferably in the range of 100cc/min to 200cc/min, such as 150cc/min flow velocity.

At the end of immersion process, the stop valve that control order is located on supply line 5 is closed, positioned at discharge line 7 On stop valve open, and the startup screw rod 19 on identical direction of rotation again.

During the supplement translational movement, the volume of infusion chamber 4 reduces, the close discharge piston 9 of closure piston 8, and one The waste coffee dregses 33 for determining dosage are compressed.

Contained liquid is discharged in discharge line 7 in the waste coffee dregses 33 of doses.

At the end of the drying process of waste coffee dregses 33 for drying doses, controller makes screw rod 19 with reverse The rotation restarting in direction, so that infusion unit 3 departs from from closure piston 8 and is returned to its initial position.

During the first stage of the decline of infusion unit 3, connecting rod 16 passes through cam 18 and the phase for mobile arm 28 The effect of interaction and be activated, and discharge piston from the bottom 4b of infusion chamber 4 rise until its will be useless and dry one The coffee grounds 33 for determining dosage takes inlet port 4c level to.

In the subsequent part of the decline of infusion unit 3, also by infusion unit 3 mobile triggering cam apparatus (not Show), start the scraper 37 positioned at inlet port 4c sides.

Scraper scans inlet port 4c, the coffee grounds 33 of doses that are useless and drying is fallen into special container 38.

In the subsequent part of the decline of infusion unit 3, connecting rod 16 passes through cam 18 and the phase for mobile arm 27 The effect of interaction and be activated, and discharge piston 9 towards immersion cylinder 100 bottom 4b retract.

It has been found that using the coffee machine of the present invention as producing the coffee similar to drip coffee or caffe american Percolation filter is very favorable.

It is therefore contemplated that coffee machine and related control method be susceptible to many modifications and variations, all such modifications With change all in the range of present inventive concept；In addition, all details can be replaced with element equivalent in other technologies.

The material and size used is as needed and prior art can be any kind of in practice.

Claims (7)

1. a kind of coffee machine (1), including：Controller；Cylinder (100) is soaked, the ground coffee (32) of doses can be loaded；Discharge Piston (9), can be slidingly supported in the immersion cylinder (100)；Piston (8) is closed, the immersion cylinder (100) can be bonded on In, so as to the infusion chamber (4) of ground coffee (32) the formation closure for doses, the infusion chamber is defined in the immersion cylinder (100) between side wall, the discharge piston (9) and the closure piston (8)；And electric actuator, it is suitable for making described Immersion cylinder (100) is moved between bottom traveling limit stop part and top traveling limit stop part, is advanced and is limited in the bottom The ground coffee (32) that doses are loaded at block piece is prevented, implements immersion process at the top traveling limit stop part, It is characterized in that：The coffee machine (1) has adjusting means, and the adjusting means is used for the ground coffee (32) based on loading The size of dosage and the position for adjusting the top traveling limit stop part so that in the position of the top traveling limit stop part In putting, the volume of the infusion chamber (4) is enough to accommodate the ground coffee (32) of doses without compressing grinding for the doses Grinding coffee, the adjusting means includes database, and the database can be by the controller access, and the database is included The size of the dosage for the ground coffee that can be selected by user, corresponding with the size of the dosage for the ground coffee that can be selected grind The incidence relation consumed time between duration and stroke degree corresponding with the milling time duration, the coffee Coffee machine also provides the user interface of the ground coffee of the doses for selecting known dimensions, and the controller obtains the choosing Select, calculate corresponding milling time automatically, the controller obtains the milling time with so calculating from the database The reference value of the position of the top traveling limit stop part of the corresponding immersion cylinder (100), and order startup described Electric actuator reaches acquired reference position until the top traveling limit stop part, and the coffee machine is additionally provided with group Encoder on the electric actuator, the encoder is used for the position for tracking the immersion cylinder (100).

2. the coffee machine (1) according to preceding claims, it is characterised in that the controller includes feedback control, wherein, The position on the immersion cylinder (100) in each operational phase of the immersion cylinder that will be provided by the encoder is provided Actual value be compared with predefined parameter, the controller proceeds the regulation of possible infusion.

3. coffee machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, it is characterised in that the coffee machine is included based on The metering device of the ground coffee is measured, the metering device is configured to load known dimensions in the immersion cylinder (100) Dosage.

4. coffee machine (1) according to claim 3, it is characterised in that the metering device includes mill.

5. coffee machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, it is characterised in that the closure piston (8) passes through The action of at least one spring (11) and can relatively be translated with least one described spring.

6. the coffee machine (1) according to preceding claims, it is characterised in that the adjusting means includes microswitch, institute Stating microswitch can be started by the movement of the closure piston (8).

7. coffee machine (1) according to claim 1, it is characterised in that the adjusting means includes detector, the detection Device is used for the absorption for detecting the electric actuator.